Internal combustion engines



April 6, 1965 T. sxNlBALDl INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Aug. l5, 1965 dwf/15%;

United States Patent 3,176,670 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGNES Toussaint Sinibaldi, 2 Blvd. Pershing, Paris, France Filed Aug. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 302,407 11 Claims. (Cl. 123-119) This invention relates to an arrangement for improving the combustion in internal combustion engines of the explosion or vaporizing type with a partciular view to reducing the carbon monoxide (C) content of the exhaust gas of such engines.

The arrangement according to the invention comprises a conduit inter-connecting the inlet manifold of the engine with the interior of the valve cover to remove oil fumes therefrom and in which is incorporated a Valve comprising a body having air inlet orifices opening into the atmosphere and a movable valve member which is subjected to the depression prevailing in the inlet manifold against the action of a restoring spring, the said valve being designed and arranged to operate in such a manner that its movable valve member uncovers a number of air inlet orifices which increases with the depression in the inlet manifold.

Such an arrangement, which is connected to the Valve cover, sucks in only oil fumes and thus does not run the risk of becoming blocked by drops of oil as with arrangements which inject liquid oil coming from the crankcase into the air filter or air inlet. Moreover the progressive increase in the amount of added air, at the same time as oil fumes, ensures, by appropriate metering, proper functioning under all operating conditions of the engine.

An embodiment of the invention will nowbe described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows the embodiment mounted on an internal combustion engine.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view on a larger scale of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section on the line III-III of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the carbon monoxide content of exhaust gas plotted against engine speed of an engine working at quarter load.

The apparatus of the arrangement shown at A in FIG. l interconnects the inlet manifold B of an internal combustion engine with the interior of the valve and rocker cover C. ln this embodiment, the apparatus carries a ilange 11 (FG. 2) which is placed between the ange of the carburetor D and the inlet manifold B.

The apparatus A comprises a piston 1 capable of sliding longitudinally in the interior of a cylindrical body 2 in which are formed radially extending air inlet holes which are staggered in three rows in the direction of movement of the piston 1.

The first row comprises a single hole 3, the second row a single hole 4 on `the opposite side of the bore and the third row comprises four holes in the same transverse plane of the body 2.

The piston 1 has an extension 1a in which is cut an annular groove 1b bounded on one side by a truncated conical surface 1c and on the other side by a cylindrical tlange 1d. A weak helical spring 6 is engaged over the extension 1a and its ends bear against the piston 1 and the corresponding internal end face of he body 2. The piston 1 has an axial passage 1e which communicates with the exterior of the piston through two diametrically opposite radial conduits 1f which open into the groove 1b.

The body 2 is closed by a plug 7 provided with a nipple 8. At its other end, the body carries a threaded nipple 9. On the nipple S is engaged a rubber tube 1@ which communicates with the interior of the rocker cover C of the 3,176,670 v Patented Apr. 6, 1965 ICC engine by means of a suitable fitting 13, while the threaded nipple 9 is screwed into a threaded ihole drilled in a radial extension 11e of'a ange which is clamped between the inlet manifold B (FIG. 1) and the supporting ange ofthe carburetor D.

The end face of the downstream end of the piston 1 is grooved in the formof a cross 1g to allow air to pass over it when the piston is in contact with the end wall 2a ofthebodyZ. Y vf With these arrangements, the oil fumes are conveyed from the rocker chamber and crankcase by the tube 10 to the nipple 8 and to the interior of the body 2. They 'then pass into the interior of the piston and leave it through the passages 1f. Depending on thedepression which obtains downstream of the carburetor in y.the inlet manifold, the piston is displaced to -a greater or lesser extent against the action of the spring 6 and one 0r several of the air inlet holes are uncovered. Air then mixes with the oil fumes and this mixture is Well homogenized due to the tiange 1d which causes considerable turbulence at the outlets of the pasasges 1f. The air fumes mixture is drawn into the inlet manifold and there mixes with the petrol (gasolene) air mixture before entering the combustion chamber.

Due to the excellent combustion effected by the mixture of air-petrol (gasolene) -oil fumes, the exhaust gases of the engine are almost wholly free from noxious gases.

It is well known that the exhaust gases of enginescontain, among other gases, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide and that it is during `slow running that carbon monoxide (the most noxious gas) occurs in the greatest quantity; now engines run slowly most often in towns and it is precisely there that carbon monoxide is least easily dispersed since there is little or no stirring up of the layers of air. As a result, theemitted carbon monoxide attains its maximum noxiousness in the most densely populated areas and thus it is during slow running ofV the engine that it is most important to obtain maximum puriiication of the exhaust gases. Now the previously known exhaust purifiers only give efcient purification of the exhaust gases at higher engine speeds. Y

By way of example, FIG. 4 shows a graph of the carbon monoxide percentage (by volume) in the exhaust gas of an engine running under quarter load plotted against engine speed in revolutions per minute. The greatest improvement occurs at 1500 r.p.m. where it will be seen that there is 2.1% of CO (curve B) when the engine is equipped with an arrangement according to the invention as against 8.6% (curve A) for the same engine without the arrangement.

The following table shows values obtained by experiment at quarter load.

OO(contenttgfexh1aust gas ercen vo ume Approximate engine speed ln Approxip y r.p.m. mate engine H.P. Without With the the arrangearrangement ment 1 Iclling, no load.

What I claim is:

1. An arrangement for improving the combustion in internal combustion engines of the explosion or vaporizing type having an intake manifold and a valve cover, com- .porated in said conduit and-comprising a body having a bore interconnectingan oil fume inlet opening-and an outlet opening in the body, a valvemember, whichhas a passageway therethrough intercommunicating said-inlet Vand outlet openings, slidably mounted in the bore, and

resilient-,means urgingthe valve'rnember towards the oil kfume inlet opening, vthe said bodyhavingair inlet means opening into said bore and progressively uncovered by the valve member as Ythe valve member is moved against the resilient means by increasing depression at the outlet openingto increase the air inow in accordance with increasing inlet `'manifold suction.

2. An arrangement according toclaim l, Awherein the lair inlet means ncludesholes inthe body,rwhich are ,spaced longitudinally in theA directionv of movement of the valve member. Y 3.v An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the bore is cylindrical and the passageway in the valve mem- `berjincludesan axial portion extending from the end of the valvemember nearer the oil 'fume inlet, the said axial 'passageway portion communicating atits other end with radially extending passages opening through apart of Vthe external surface of the valve member'which includes "therend of the valve rnembernearer the valve outlet and which is of a diameter less than that of the bore.

4. An arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the said radial passages open into an Vannular groove in the valve member, the said groove being bounded on its side 'nearer the valve outlet by a flange of'external diamete less'than that of the bore. y

5. An arrangement according to claim 4, wherein the annular groove'is bounded on its Vother side by a frusto- Vconical surface ofthe valve member.

6. An arrangement according to claim l, wherein the end faces of the valve member Yand theibore end wall nearer the outletfare shaped-toprovide communication Vbetweenthe bore andthe loutlet even when said valve memberv contacts said bore end wall. v

'7. A valve for connecting the interior of a valve cover of an internal combustion engine to the inlet manifold thereof `to suchoil fumes-from the valve cover andto deliver a mixture of suchoil fumes and air. to the inlet manifold, said Valve comprising, in combination, a body having a bore interconnecting an oil fume inlet opening and an outlet opening in the body, a valve member, which has a passageway therethrough Yintercommunicating said inlet and outlet'-openingsgslidably mounted vin lthe bore, and resilient means urging lthe Valve member toward the oil Ifume inletl opening, "the said'body having air inlet means opening into said" bore'and progressively uncovered by -the valve member as the valve member is vmoved against the resilient means-by increasing depression at the outlet .opening to increase the air flow in accordance with increasing suction at the outlet opening.

8. A valve as claimed in claim 7, wherein the air inlet means includes holes in the body which are spaced longitudinally in the direction of movement of the valve member.

9. A valve as claimed in claim 7, wherein said bore is cylindrical and the passageway in the valve member includes an axial portion extending fromthe end of the valve member nearer the oil fume inlet, the said axial passageway portion communicating at itsy other end with radially extending passages opening through a part of the external surface of the valve member which includes the end of thejvalve member nearer the valve outlet and which is of a diameter less than that of the bore.

10. A valve as claimed in claim 9, wherein the said radial passages open into an annular groove in the valve member, the said groove being bounded on its sidenearer fthe valve outlet by a ange of external diameter less than the diameter of the bore.

ll. A valve as claimed in claim 10, wherein the annular groove is bounded on itsother side by a frustro-conical surface of the valve member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED` STATES PATENTS RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

' KARL J. ALBRECHT, Examiner. 

1. AN ARRANGEMENT FOR IMPROVING THE COMBINATION IN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES OF THE EXPLOSION OR VAPORIZING TYPE HAVING AN INTAKE MANIFOLD AND A VALVE COVER, COMPRISING A CONDUIT ADAPTED FOR INTERCONNECTING THE INLET MANIFOLD OF THE ENGINE WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE VALVE COVER TO SUCK OIL FUMES FROM THE LATTER, AND A VALVE INCORPORATED IN SAID CONDUIT AND COMPRISING A BODY HAVING A BORE INTERCONNECTING AN OIL FUME INLET OPENING AND AN OUTLET OPENING IN THE BODY, A VALVE MEMBER, WHICH HAS A PASSAGEWAY THERETHROUGH INTERCOMMUNICATING SAID INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS, SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN THE BORE, AND RESILIENT MEANS URGING THE VALVE MEMBER TOWARDS THE OIL FUME INLET OPENING, THE SAID BODY HAVING AIR INLET MEANS OPENING INTO SAID BORE AND PROGRESSIVELY UNCOVERED BY THE VALVE MEMBER AS THE VALVE MEMBER IS MOVED AGAINST THE RESILIENT MEANS BY INCREASING DEPRESSION AT THE OUTLET OPENING TO INCREASE THE AIR INFLOW IN ACCORDANCE WITH INCREASING INLET MANIFOLD SUCTION. 